Six Things You Didn't Know About Trademarks

Brewers can protect the uniqueness of their brands of brew and brewery names by filing for federal registration of their trademarks. Here are a few things about the process that are good to know:

• There are 45 different classes of goods and services, and how you file to protect your trademark is an important decision. Is your mark simply the name of a beer? Is it also the name of your brew pub? If so, consider filing in the classes covering both beer and restaurant/bar services. The more classes you file in, the more filing fees; but also the greater protection you will have.
• Don't file for registration of a mark with a particular description of goods or services unless you know that at some point within the next three years you will be able to file an appropriate "specimen" of use. For goods, a specimen is often simply a photograph of the packaged goods bearing the trademark. For services, often pages from the applicant's website promoting the services and